After The Storm
by ravengal
Summary: [Two-shot] Ever read the fic 'When It Rains' by abbylicious? Well, this is my version of what happened once Chiharu, the daughter of Ash and Misty, was cleared to leave the hospital.
1. Together as One

Author's note: Hey. Since there was no solid ending to the fic 'When It Rains' by abbylicious (though my mum would disagree - I told her the storyline, neglecting to mention that it was a Pokemon story :P) and said author was offering the chance for someone to take up where she left off, I decided to give it a shot. I don't know if I'll be able to write in her style (most likely not), but, hey, I can give it a shot anyway.

Here's the link to the story (which you really should read before reading this two-shot): **http : / / www . fanfiction . net / s / 1098056 / 1 / When _ it _ Rains**

(Just remove the spaces where they shouldn't _be_ any spaces, of course.)

Finally, a note to the great authoress herself before this two-shot gets underway.

To abbylicious: I'm sorry that you might not have known about this, but I tried (and failed) to get in contact with you. Hopefully, one of your friends will spot this and notify you.

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* * *

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**Chapter Ten****: Together as One**

It had been a long and agonising wait for Ash and Misty, but, finally, after everything they had gone through together, their daughter was finally released from the hospital. Little four-and-a-half-year-old Chiharu Waterflower bounded along happily, her hand clasped tightly, yet not too tightly, within her mother's, as the trio headed to the Pokemon Centre to pick up Pikachu.

All the while, Ash and Misty were silently thinking over what had happened and where to go from here; could they start a new life together? Would that be moving too fast? How would Chiharu react if they told her that Ash, the man she had become so attached to in her short time of knowing him, was her real father? Should they tell her? Would it not raise awkward questions? They both paused. Yes, they should tell her, but what then? Was there any chance of fixing their current problem? Misty felt guilty about keeping Ash's daughter a secret from him for five years... and Ash felt guilty about never contacting Misty in those five years; they were both in a mess that was difficult to get out of.

They walked through the automatic doors of the Pokemon Centre in silence before approaching the desk, Chiharu not being so silent; she was being very jolly and happily singing a nursery rhyme that Misty had taught her a couple of years ago; she had to smile at that.

"Hi," Ash said to Nurse Joy, "I'm here for my Pikachu."

Nurse Joy took one look at Misty, recognised her from the night before and nodded. "Yes, of course," she replied. "One moment, please." She disappeared into the back room and, a few moments later, re-emerged, holding Ash's best friend.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu exclaimed upon seeing Ash. Nurse Joy placed it on the counter and it leapt onto Ash's shoulder. Chiharu giggled.

"Hey, buddy," Ash said, smiling. He looked back at the nurse. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."

The nurse smiled back. "No problem," she replied.

Turning around and walking out the automatic doors together, the quartet made their way towards Pallet Town, where Ash's mother was probably worrying herself sick over them, Chiharu especially.

"Chiharu?" Misty asked quietly. Her daughter looked up at her. "What... what exactly happened? How... how did you end up... in the woods?"

That had been a rather painful question for her to ask; the memory of the events of the previous night still haunted her... and she knew very well that they would continue to haunt her for the rest of her life. She nearly lost her baby... her world... in one stupid storm.

Chiharu lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry..." she replied, "I wanted to look at the storm... 'cause it was amazing, like nothing I'd ever seen before... so I went outside to get a better look... but the wind was so strong, it blew me off my feet and carried me away." She looked on the verge of tears as she gripped Misty's hand tighter. "I tried to fight it, but it was too strong! I got blown away!" She paused and her voice lowered to a murmur, tears now leaking from her eyes. "I don't know what happened after that..."

Misty stopped walking and knelt down, her eyes now level with Chiharu's. "Oh, sweetheart..." she said, her own eyes filling with tears. Her heart was breaking at the immense amount of emotion radiating off her daughter. She let go of her hand and held out her arms. Chiharu ran into them and hugged her. "It's alright, baby, it's alright... that's never going to happen to you again... Mommy's here..."

Ash's heart went out to his daughter as he also knelt down and gently stroked her back, attempting to comfort her. It was odd, how he had developed a fatherly instinct now, disappointed that Chiharu had disobeyed his orders for everyone to stay in the safety of his home and wandered into last night's death trap of a storm... yet the disappointment was taking a back seat to his immense relief that she had survived the ordeal and was now perfectly healthy again, not to mention fully regretting her actions.

* * *

"Oh, thank God!" Delia yelled as soon as she saw what she now knew to be her family walk in through the front door, safe and well. She ran over and hugged everyone, Ash first, then Misty, then, kneeling down, Chiharu. "I was so worried! I'm so glad to see you're all safe!" She hugged Chiharu again.

"Yeah... we're all okay now," Ash replied.

Delia stood up again. "Come inside and sit down, Chiharu... you've been through so much! You deserve to relax now. Watch some television and I'll bring you all the milk and cookies you can possibly eat."

Chiharu brightened. "Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum!" she replied before being guided into the living room.

Ash looked over at Misty, who still didn't cease to look beautiful, despite looking all the worse for wear, and debated whether or not to voice his thoughts. What would she say to this? Would she accept or reject it? Would she even want him in her life anymore? Did she even want him there to begin with? He knew these were ridiculous questions, but he couldn't help but wonder them anyway.

"Uh... Misty?" he asked tentatively.

She looked back at him. "Yeah?" she replied.

"Well..." He looked away and scratched the back of his head, almost causing Pikachu to fall off his other shoulder. "Don't you think we should maybe... tell... Chiharu that... I'm her..."

Misty looked down at the floor. "I was wondering the same thing..." She paused and glanced in the opposite direction to where Ash was standing. "I don't know how she'll take it, but... I guess... since you're here and all... and willing to let her know what you are to her..."

Ash lowered his hand. "It's not just _that_... I... wanna be there for her... for both of you... I wanna... try and make up for my absence... catch up on lost years..."

Misty looked up at him, hope daring to emerge from deep within her. "You really mean that? You want to... be part of our family?" Ash nodded. "But... what about your dream? I mean... I know you've already become a Pokemon Master, but... even _I_ know that it doesn't stop there. Pokemon Masters still have a lot left to do... a lot more left to learn."

Ash lowered his head. "I know... but... families always come before dreams." He raised his head and gave a small smile. "Especially families that you love more than anything and will do anything for."

In spite of herself, Misty blushed; he really felt that way about her and Chiharu? As a family he loved more than anything and would do anything for? Despite all of her past emotional problems, attempting to throw up barriers around herself to block out anything to do with the boy in question, she couldn't help but glow inside at that comment. She really loved him, that was almost impossible to ignore now, and hearing that he loved her back felt amazing to her.

"Wow... thank you..."

Ash beamed and took her hand, causing a larger blush to appear on Misty's face as well as one to appear on his own... then a thought suddenly struck him. "Say... why did you call our daughter 'Chiharu', anyway? It doesn't sound English."

Misty gave a light chuckle. "That's 'cause it's not... it's Japanese." Ash gave her a questioning look, so she decided to tell him the story. "Okay, well... it all started when you were off on Pokemon Master training and I was about five months pregnant."

"Uh huh..."

"I was being teased and bullied a heck of a lot, because I was an eighteen-year-old already expecting a child. Believe me, I was called all sorts of names." Ash's eyebrows creased into a frown and Misty smiled at how much that fact bothered him. "Anyway, I eventually met this Japanese guy my age called Kentaro. He was really sweet... and he didn't tease or bully me, like the rest did."

"Mmm hmm..."

"It didn't take us long to end up together... and I even think that, after a couple of months, he even fell in love with me." Ash's face tightened and, again, Misty smiled, this time at his obvious jealousy. "Anyway, the relationship was going really well... and he even offered to father my baby once it was born, since he 'never wanted to be apart from me', as he put it."

"Right..."

"So we decided on baby names together. I said that, if it were a boy, we'd call it Lawrence, after my grandfather, who'd passed away a few years previously... and he said that, if it were a girl, we'd call it Chiharu, after his grandmother, who'd recently passed away. Well, with the baby being a girl, we called her Chiharu."

"Oh, I see..."

Misty sighed. "Then the problems started to occur. Every day, Kentaro would come over to my house to help me raise Chiharu... even sleep over, quite often... but, as it turned out, he just couldn't handle the stress of being a father... which would lead to him remembering that she wasn't even his own baby, which would lead to him asking questions about the real father..."

"Uh huh..."

"But, back then, I wasn't able to talk about you. All these years, I've been throwing up barriers to protect myself from the intense emotions the thought of you brought me... so, whenever he asked about you, I'd lose my temper and tell him to shut up." She paused and looked back down at the floor. "After a month, he eventually got so fed up that he left and didn't come back..."

Ash gaped at her, unable to believe his ears. "What? Seriously? He just walked out on you? After he'd promised to help you look after Chiharu? After you'd named Chiharu after his grandmother?" Misty nodded and he was suddenly overcome with rage. "That complete and utter-! Why, I oughta-!" How dare anyone do that to his precious Misty! There she'd been, struggling to forget her past - and the thought sent a jolt of mingled guilt and sadness down his spine – and he'd just abandoned her when Chiharu had been just one month old!

Misty looked into Ash's eyes. "It's not like it matters now, anyway... I've _way_ over Kentaro."

Ash shook his head. "That's not the point... he still shouldn't have done that to you."

Misty rolled her eyes and gave his arm a light punch. "Oh, get over it... I have." Ash smiled. She suddenly got a boost of confidence seemingly from nowhere and placed her free hand on her hip. "So... are we gonna go tell Chiharu the truth or what?" Ash widened his eyes at her. "What? She deserves to know the truth, doesn't she?"

Ash laughed. "Yeah... she does."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped, making Ash and Misty jump; they'd almost forgotten it was there. They both laughed at their stupidity.

* * *

"Chiharu?" Misty asked, edging towards her daughter, who had been watching a cartoon with Delia until the commercials had come on. "Sweetie?"

Chiharu turned around in her seat on the couch to look at her mother. "Yes, Mommy?" she asked. Delia was also looking at Ash and Misty with interest.

"Um..." Misty knelt down beside the couch arm to look her daughter in the eyes at eye level. "Mommy has something she wants to tell you." Chiharu looked at her expectantly, her expression displaying one of wonder, as though her mother would be telling her the world's greatest secret. Misty glanced up at Ash, who nodded to her, silently urging her to continue. She took a deep breath and looked back at Chiharu. "You know how you wanted to know who your daddy is?"

Chiharu's eyes widened. "Yes."

"Well..." She indicated the man behind her with her hand. "Ash is your daddy." Chiharu's mouth dropped open as she looked up at Ash, who smiled and wiggled his fingers in greeting. Silence fell among the group.

"Daddy?"

Ash knelt down beside Misty. "Yep..." he replied, "I'm your daddy."

There were a few moments of deathly silence. Even Delia looked shocked.

"Daddy!" Chiharu leapt down from her seat, ran around the couch and threw herself into Ash's arms, where they hugged one another lovingly. "Daddy..."

Delia and Misty positively beamed, both extremely proud of Misty's bravery.

"And you know Mrs. Ketchum, sweetie?" Misty asked.

Chiharu broke off her hug with Ash to look at Delia. "Yes."

"Well... she's your grandma."

Chiharu's eyes widened again as she looked up at Delia. "Grandma?"

Delia nodded. "That's right... I'm your grandma."

Again, Chiharu was silent for a few moments before squealing in delight. "Grandma!" She ran back around the couch, leapt up onto said couch and jumped into Delia's arms, receiving another hug.

"Wait..." Ash said, confused by his mother's calm attitude, "my mom knew about this?" He looked at Misty. "She knew that I was Chiharu's dad? She knew that she was her grandma?"

Misty suddenly felt ashamed; she'd told Ash's mother about Chiharu being blood related to the both of them before telling Ash. She was certain that he wouldn't like that. "Well... I... didn't have the courage to tell _you_, originally... so I told Delia first, hoping that I'd gain enough confidence to tell _you_..."

Ash stared at her; she'd told the grandmother before the father? How could she? Did she not understand at the time how much he would have wanted to know that he had a daughter? He looked at the floor, hurt that she had confided in his mother before confiding in him.

"Misty was afraid of your reaction," Delia said. Ash looked up at her. "She was terribly afraid of how you'd take having a daughter all the time you were training to be a Pokemon Master. She was having a mental breakdown when she was telling _me_." Her expression softened. "Please understand how she was feeling; she hadn't even told her _sisters_ who Chiharu's father was, so imagine how hard it would be to go directly to the father. That's why she consulted me first... because it was easier for her. Don't get me wrong here... she knew it was wrong of her to consult me before you, but think of it this way, Ash: if she hadn't consulted _me_ first, she might never have consulted _you_."

Ash stared at his mother, awe-struck by the depth of her words. Breaking his gaze, he looked over at Misty, who was staring embarrassedly at the carpet. He finally understood. Granted, he was still hurt that he had been consulted second about his own daughter, but he now understood her reasons for doing that. His heart went out to her and his respect and love for her grew.

"I'm sorry, Ash..." Misty mumbled.

Ash smiled warmly at her. "It's okay, Mist..." he replied, "don't worry about it."

Misty looked up at him, emotions mingling inside of her; she was surprised at his calm reaction to what she had done to him, elated because he appeared so forgiving of her unforgivable actions and flattered because of the use of that old-school nickname that he hadn't given to her for years.

* * *

A little while later, after everyone had washed and changed, Ash, Misty, Chiharu and Pikachu were all gathered together in one corner of the living room, the former three playing a board game and having one heck of a fun time. Now that each and every one of them knew that they were actually a family, for the first time ever, they _felt_ like a family; this was helped along by the fact that Chiharu was now calling Ash 'Daddy' while calling Misty 'Mommy'.

"Misty?" Delia asked after walking over.

Misty looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Can I speak to you for a minute in private?"

"Oh, sure." She turned to her family. "Mommy'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"Okay!" Chiharu replied.

"Be back soon or we'll take your turn for you!" Ash called jokingly. Misty stuck her tongue out at him as she stood up.

After crossing the room and walking into the kitchen, Delia turned to Misty.

"So..." she said, "I'm curious... what did Ash say when you told him that _he's_ Chiharu's father?"

Misty was rather taken aback by this question. Slightly embarrassed, she averted her eyes. "Aheh... well... it was an awkward moment when I told him... and I didn't tell him in the most graceful of ways... but... at first, he was shocked... then he was angry... but, now, he seems calm... and happy."

Delia smiled and nodded. "Well, it's what can be expected when it concerns something this big." She glanced out the room at Ash, who was hugging a giggling Chiharu from behind and nuzzling his chin into the crown of her head lovingly, Pikachu watching amusedly. She beamed, a tiny lump forming in her throat. "Wow... I've never seen him this happy..." She looked back at Misty, attempting to swallow the lump.

"Yeah, he really seems to love her."

"Which is why I've been thinking..." Delia took a deep breath to steady herself and not lose control of her emotions. "Misty... would you like to move in with us?"


	2. Starting Again

Author's note: Hey! Wow, sorry. I took way too long updating this thing. Lol. Anyway, here it is! My complete ending to abbylicious' story, 'When It Rains'.

Please! If you have any way of contacting abbylicious, do tell her that her fic has an ending now. I don't know whether or not there are more endings/continuations out there, but, either way, she should still know about them! The plotline _is_ her creation, after all.

Also, I'll be mentioning Togetic later in the fic, because the Pokemon was mentioned as being with Misty in 'When It Rains' (since the fic had been written before Togepi actually evolved - and was released - in the anime).

Right! Now to close up the story _my_ way... and let me just say, it was difficult (and very strange) to write in someone else's style... but I'm glad I did it. It gave me a chance to truly test my writing abilities, as well as end a great fic that was left on an agonising cliff-hanger. Lol.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven****: Starting Again**

Misty Waterflower simply could not believe her ears. She was too shocked to move, as though what she'd just thought she'd heard had paralyzed her entire body from head to toe. Was she hearing this right? Delia was asking her to move in with her? Asking her and Chiharu to move in with her, Ash and Pikachu? Her head suddenly felt so light, blocking out the rest of the world, as it tried to process this information; this couldn't be real. Delia couldn't really have asked that... could she? But the expression on the woman's face said that she was completely serious.

"Misty?" Delia asked gently.

Misty quickly tried to shake off the light-headedness to give her daughter's grandmother an answer. "Well..." she replied cautiously, "I already _have_ a house..."

Well, she had to admit, that sentence had come off rather weak... but it was true; she had a perfectly good house in Cerulean City that she had scrimped and saved over the years to be able to afford, and she didn't really want to have to leave it. Plenty of money had also been donated from her three older sisters, as well as Delia herself, to go towards this house and, when she'd finally bought it, she'd been delighted to finally get her own home to decorate the way she wanted it. It also held far too many precious memories between her and Chiharu...

Delia shook her head sympathetically. "I know, Misty... but you want to keep the whole family together now, don't you? Please consider it, at least."

Misty sighed, knowing full well that there was no way that Delia would be able to handle everyone living in her house. She really didn't want to have to burden the woman when she and Chiharu had perfectly good living conditions in their own home.

She shook her head. "I can't possibly do that to you. Chiharu and I would only impose."

Delia chuckled lightly. "Oh, don't be silly, dear. I'm sure I'll cope just fine if you and Chiharu move in with Ash and I. In fact, I would _love_ it if you did. I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't what I wanted."

Misty looked at the carpet awkwardly. "I know..."

She thought the situation over again; she really did want Ash to be a part of Chiharu's life now, since he was ready and willing to be a father... but her dream house, with its plenty of extra space and furnishings just the way she liked them, was waiting for her back home... and she cared too much about Delia to burden her with two extra people in the house.

Misty blinked, realising something; plenty of extra space. Maybe... maybe, instead of her and Chiharu moving in with Delia and Ash... Ash could move in with her and Chiharu... although, was she really ready for that? It _was_ rather sudden, after all. When she'd come to Delia's house, she wasn't expecting to be considering taking someone else home with her. Could she manage having Ash and Pikachu living with her? Did she truly want them there? Well, yes, she did, but a selfish part of her brain said that they would be invading. After all, that house had been her sanctuary during the five years – her heart ached in her chest at that – that she had been trying to forget about Ash... the five years that it had just been her and Chiharu... Was she ready for change? It scared her, but she knew that it was the most logical way around the problem. Chiharu needed her father and she really didn't want to burden Delia with extra mouths to feed.

She looked up at Delia. "Hey, Delia?"

"Hmm?"

"I... think I have an idea... although..." She glanced away and back again. "I'm not sure what Ash would say to it."

Delia looked curious. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Well..." Misty scuffed the carpet with her sneaker. "What about if... instead... _Ash_ were to move in... with _me_?"

Delia's eyes widened in shock and her body seemed to freeze, much like Misty's had done when _she_ had asked _her_ if she wanted to move in with her and Ash. This made Misty feel awkward; obviously, the suggestion was going to cause Delia a small amount of panic, as she'd be thinking about whether or not she was ready to let go of her son and allow him to move into someone else's home... in a completely different city, no less... as well as make her worry about how often she was going to see Chiharu when the little girl was so far away from her...

"Um... well..." Delia appeared to be getting over her shock now. "I _guess_ that's the most practical thing to do... but you really don't need to do that. I'm _more_ than happy to let you both live _here_."

Misty shook her head. "Thank you, Delia, but I really don't want to burden you..." She paused. "I guess I'd better see what Ash thinks of the idea..."

The thought of what Ash might say suddenly made her heart beat faster in panic; would he accept it? Would he reject it? Would he even be ready for that kind of commitment? She wasn't even sure if _she_ was ready for it... but... she really loved Ash... and _he_ really loved _her_... and both of them absolutely adored Chiharu... and this was all for Chiharu, wasn't it? They were doing it for Chiharu, weren't they? She glanced over at Ash, who was teaming up with Pikachu as they both tickled a giggling Chiharu to death, and felt her heart pound against her ribcage; okay, maybe a selfish part of her also wanted to be with him just for the sake of being with him. She'd tried to deny it for five years, but the truth was, she loved him more than any man she'd ever known before.

* * *

As Misty walked back in from the kitchen, Ash looked up at her, grinning as he and Pikachu continued to tickle Chiharu, who was rolling around on the floor, laughing her socks off. "Ah, you're back." He let go of Chiharu and slowly reached towards the die. "Quick! Take your turn before I reach the die..."

Misty shook her head, only half a smile on her face. "Ash, be serious a minute, would you?" He stopped grinning and pulled back his arm. Chiharu's giggles disappeared too, meaning that Pikachu had ceased tickling her. "I... have something I... want to ask you..."

She had his full attention now. He sat up straighter. "Okay... fire away."

"Um..." Misty's eyes darted around the room awkwardly. "Well... you did say that... you wanted to... catch up on lost years, right?"

Ash nodded, still feeling determined about doing that. "Yeah."

"Well..." Misty fiddled with her shirt, rolling it across her fingers nervously. "I have a big house in Cerulean City... Would you like to... move in... with me?"

Ash's brain suddenly went numb in shock; did he hear that right? Misty was asking him to move in with her? Into her house in Cerulean City? He blinked, glancing at the carpet as his brain tried to catch up with this suggestion; _did_ he want to move out? He'd lived with his mother his entire life... or, at least, all the time he hadn't been travelling around the world to become a Pokemon Master. He really wasn't expecting Misty to ask him that at all... although, now that he thought about it, something _would_ need to be done soon, wouldn't it? He wanted to spend every waking moment with Chiharu, but how could he if he lived in Pallet Town and Misty lived in Cerulean City? It would be difficult, travelling back and forth every day. Misty could live with him in Pallet Town, but that could overcrowd the house a bit... and possibly burden his mother... and he didn't want _that_... There was also the matter of him not being able to continue his lifelong dream of being the world's greatest Pokemon Master... although he'd already said himself that family came before dreams... and he knew that this was still the way he felt about the matter. Maybe he could put it on hold for a few years... maybe until Chiharu was ten years old and away on her own Pokemon journey. He looked up at Misty, drinking in the beautiful face, hair, eyes and body of the woman that he loved more than anyone else in the world... and instantly knew that he could easily give up his dream for her... and for the beautiful little girl lying on her back on the floor nearby.

He smiled, his mind fully made up, and nodded. "Yes... I would love to move in with you."

"Yay!" Chiharu squealed in delight.

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped, pumping its fist in agreement of his decision.

Misty beamed at him, her cheeks red and her eyes moist with unshed tears; Ash simply had no idea how happy he'd made her when he'd said 'yes'. Her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest in unbridled joy.

They both heard Delia chuckle from the doorway, so both turned, slightly embarrassed, to look at her. "Well, I guess you'll be moving out, Ash..." she said, looking rather sad. "Promise me that the three of you will visit once in a while, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry, Delia," Misty said, smiling guiltily at her. She truly did feel awful for taking the woman's granddaughter away from her again. "We can come and visit on Sundays, if you like." She turned to Ash. "Is that okay, Ash?"

Ash nodded. "Of course! You deserve to watch Chiharu grow up too, Mom... so I promise that we'll visit _every_ Sunday."

Delia paused a moment to think about it; was that sufficient enough time? There were already so many years lost on her granddaughter. Although she'd known about her and helped to provide Misty with the funds necessary to raise her, she'd had no idea that she and the child were related. Therefore, she never got to know her properly and, and as a result of that, knew absolutely nothing about her. However, she had to admit, this was for the best; Chiharu growing up in an environment where her mother and father alone could raise her without any outside interference... and they did promise a weekly visit. Plus, they didn't say anything about not being able to talk to her granddaughter a few times a week over the video phone...

She smiled. "Okay. That settles that, then."

* * *

It was six months after Misty had asked Ash if he'd wanted to move in with her and the now twenty-four-year-old woman (since her birthday had been a few weeks ago) was in her cheerful yellow kitchen, humming a pleasant melody as she chopped away at some vegetables on her wooden chopping board. Every few seconds, she made sure to glance over at the pan of bubbling noodles on the cooker, waiting for them to be done just enough for her to throw in the vegetables. Continuing her chopping, she very much hoped that Ash would like the stir fry that she was planning to make for her family. She already knew that Chiharu liked it, as she'd made it for the little girl before, but wasn't sure what Ash would think... although she figured that he probably _would_ like it, since he'd always seemed to love eating in general. She smiled brighter as she dropped the vegetables in the pan, listening to the loud sizzling noise; since learning to cook well over the last five years, she'd come to enjoy cooking, so she had no problems with preparing a meal for her, Ash and Chiharu... and, she thought as she picked up her wooden spoon and stirred the mixture inside the pan, it was actually a very good job that she'd improved her less than satisfactory cooking skills over the years, since Ash had still not learned to cook. He'd been far too busy with his intensive Pokemon Master training for the past five years to even consider it and, since he'd been spending his time training with men who were much older than him (mainly from the Elite Four), he'd continued to rely on _them_ to do the cooking and cleaning, seeing as he'd stopped travelling with Brock after he'd turned eighteen.

Misty huffed in the slight humidity, a little uncomfortable at how stuffy her cooking was currently making the kitchen. She had the urge to open a window and feel the cold breeze of the outside world against her skin, but she refrained from doing so; it was actually a very cold day, so all it would have done was make her, Ash and Chiharu shiver, which she certainly didn't want. Therefore, all windows remained closed and her yellow gingham-print curtains lay motionless against the walls, no breeze being present within the household.

In the living room, Ash Ketchum was lounging on the red couch, his feet up, a newspaper leaning on his legs and a pen in his hand. He was trying to decide on a job to apply for (preferably one that he could do from home, in order to spend as much time as possible with Chiharu), since Misty was living off benefits. He felt that, because he lived there too now, he needed to assist her with the funding in any way he could. He didn't like the idea of making her do all the work in the family and him freeloading off her, so he'd made a promise to both himself and her that he would find a job which he would enjoy, as well as help him bring in a reasonable amount of money. As he used his pen to circle another job that vaguely appealed to him, he thought about his new life, living with Misty and Chiharu, settling down, staying in one place... and could honestly say that he felt contended with it, despite how vastly different it was from the life he _used_ to lead, travelling all over the world, catching Pokemon, training Pokemon, attempting to be the world's greatest Pokemon Master. It had had always been part of his nature to keep moving, keep looking for the next adventure and never staying in one place too long. It felt very strange settling down, not moving anywhere... but he rather liked it. He glanced towards Chiharu, who was sitting on a wooden chair in the corner of the room, giggling as she spoke into the receiver of the video phone. The smiling face of her grandmother, Delia, could be seen on the screen, happily chatting about something that Ash couldn't hear, and the now five-year-old girl's ocean blue eyes were sparkling in mirth, her black hair flowing over her shoulders, as she giggled again before making a reply. As Ash watched her, he felt a pang of guilt in his heart, remembering that his life of moving forward and never looking back had prevented him from even knowing that his daughter existed... as well as preventing him from being able to watch her grow.

Unable to continue looking at her, because of the painful gnaw in his heart, he glanced elsewhere in the room, very keen to find something else to look at. His dark brown eyes landed on Pikachu and Togetic, who were sitting side-by-side on the red armchair in the other corner of the room and engaging in an excited conversation about something. Ash couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, but the bright smiles on both of their faces, as well as the energetic way that Pikachu waved its little yellow arms around as it spoke, was so cute that the twenty-four-year-old man couldn't help but smile.

* * *

A while later, when everyone had happily polished off their meals, Ash (after commenting that it was the best stir fry that he'd ever eaten) had said that he was going to head into the garden to do some training. Misty had been concerned _enough_ about that before Chiharu had suddenly said that she wanted to join him outside to watch him. It was a bitterly cold day to be following his new routine of practicing his Pokemon's attacks in the garden, but Misty knew that there was no way she'd be able to convince him not to (he loved to train, but he also wanted to make sure that he stayed strong during the time he wasn't travelling), so she'd agreed to let them head out, as long as they stuck to her two ground rules. First of all, Ash and Chiharu had to wrap up as warm as possible (wearing thick jackets, woolly hats and gloves) and, secondly, Ash and Pikachu had to practice _around_ her flowers and not through them. If Ash destroyed any, _she'd_ destroy _him_.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted. "Use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu zoomed round the edge of the garden at lightning speed, coming within centimetres of Misty's flowers. However, although the Pokemon always caught them in a slight breeze, it never even touched them, merely gliding past them, as though it was skating on ice. This easily showed off Pikachu's flawless control over its attacks, each one perfected by the years of intensive training that it had been through with Ash. Chiharu was very impressed by the majestic display of power.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, giggling and clapping her mitten-covered hands together. "Cool!"

Ash smirked, proud that he was able to impress his daughter with his number one talent. "Alright, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu changed directions in the blink of an eye, still barely ruffling even the smallest of plants, before coming to a stop right next to Ash in the centre of the garden and letting loose a powerful electric attack. The electricity shot straight into the air before careening back down in separate strands that created a perfect dome shape, yet not a single strand touched either Ash, Chiharu or the flowers. Chiharu cheered again, even more impressed, and Ash beamed in pride.

* * *

Misty had been steeling herself to make this phone call... trying to build up the courage to tell her sister what she most needed to know... but it had been very difficult. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to say it? How would Daisy react to it? She knew that she would be shocked... but could she _handle_ that shock? Could she handle the twenty questions that would follow? Could she trust her sister not to gossip about what she had to say to everyone she knew? She'd kept this secret from her for so long... Would Daisy think that she hadn't been able to trust her? She wouldn't likely understand that she just couldn't face telling anyone, would she? These questions had all been buzzing around Misty's brain as she'd slowly picked up the receiver of the video phone.

The conversation had started off quite pleasantly, each sister asking how the other was doing, Misty commenting on how cold it was and Daisy agreeing... but, when Daisy had asked about Chiharu, Misty had begun to crack. Details slipped from her mouth as Togetic floated quietly by her side, listening to her every word with sympathy shining in its eyes. She said that Chiharu was outside, watching her father train... and, when Daisy, shocked beyond belief, asked her to repeat herself, she told her that he was living with the two of them now... and that they were now one big happy family. Daisy then demanded to know who the man was and, gulping down her nausea and worry, Misty told her.

"_What_?" Daisy screeched, her eyes and mouth as wide open as they would go. "_Ash_? You mean that boy with the cap and the Pikachu that you used to travel around with?" She suddenly became frantic, almost dropping the receiver. "The... the... boy that I jokingly said was your _boyfriend_?"

"Yeah..." Misty replied, glancing awkwardly away from the screen, "him..."

"But... _wow_... I..." Daisy paused for a moment. "When? How?"

After a deep breath, Misty explained about Ash's Pokemon Master party and (somewhat awkwardly) what had happened there... about how Ash had been away for five years... about the homecoming party that had brought them back together... about the storm that had forced them to reacquaint themselves with each other, as well as bring certain dark secrets to the surface... and about how Ash had eventually moved in with her and Chiharu.

"It... was a long and tough experience..." Misty glanced out the window at Ash, Chiharu and Pikachu. "But it was worth it in the end." Daisy frowned, looking upset, so Misty quickly jumped in before she could speak. "And I'm sorry I never told anybody... but..." She looked away. "I really couldn't handle it. Even _thinking_ about Ash made me want to cry... so I really couldn't face talking about him. I just... wanted to get on with my life."

"Hmm." Daisy paused. "Well, okay... but, next time, if something's wrong, tell me, alright? Otherwise, I'll just think you don't trust me."

Misty allowed herself a small smile. "Okay, I promise."

Daisy smiled in return. "Thanks." She paused. "Well, I guess _now_, I just need to spread the word around about you and Ash." Misty's smile slipped from her face and her heart plummeted into her stomach. "After all, Violet and Lily will want to know this piece of gossip too!" Misty opened her mouth, but she was so horrified that no sound came out. Daisy, in the meantime, stuck out her tongue. "It's you own fault for keeping us out of the loop." She waved merrily. "Buh-bye!"

The screen went blank and Misty, feeling as though her life energy had been drained from her body, replaced the receiver. She turned to Togetic, who was still floating beside her, and gave a deep sigh. "Oh, well... looks like my _other_ two sisters will be phoning up later, asking for the juicy details..." She glanced out the window at Ash, Chiharu and Pikachu again and, suddenly remembering all the feelings that she had experienced over the years because of Ash and Chiharu... and how those feelings had all come to a climax because of a storm... did she realise an odd connection. She laughed at the irony. "Well, I guess what they say really _is_ true: when it rains, it _pours_..."

**The End**


End file.
